Eyes of a Teenage Runaway
by Someone Stole My Cookie
Summary: Looking into those eyes, they seem so familiar. To close for comfort, familiar, he didn’t like it; he didn’t like staring into the eyes of a teenage runaway, his teenage runaway. DASEY&LIZWIN! TWOSHOT R&R PLEASE!
1. Chapter 1

**Eyes of Teenage Runaway**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: I know I should be working on my other stories…but I couldn't resist. And if there's a Centennial College…well we're going to pretend this is a different one. R&R PLEASE!**

_Flashback_

**Summary: Looking into those eyes, they seem so familiar. To close for comfort, familiar, he didn't like it; he didn't like staring into the eyes of a teenage runaway, his teenage runaway. Hit with déjà vu like a **

**bright yellow school bus by looking into those eyes, he felt nauseous.**

"C'mon, Babe, we need to go." Twenty-five year old Casey McDonald gathered her seven year old daughter's bags into her arms and put them in the car.

"Mommy, where are we going?" She asked, those big blue eyes reflecting into Casey's.

"We're going to see Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Edwin, Aunt Lizzie, Aunt Marti and D…Uncle Derek." She smiled softly as her daughter's eyes filled with excitement.

"Uncle Derek is number eighteen for the Leafs, isn't he?" She asked and Casey smiled, nodding.

"Sure is, and I know how you like your hockey." She winked at her and her daughter smiled.

"He's the best player _ever_! I can't believe he's my uncle!" Casey sat in the front seat and smiled sadly.

"Yeah…he's pretty great, isn't he?" She shook her head and began to drive.

"I'm going to ask him for an autograph…ooh! Maybe he'll play hockey with me!" She pumped her fist and did a dance from where she was sitting. Casey laughed and looked at her daughter through her mirror.

"Don't bring out the big guns as soon as you see him, Kaylie, you might scare him off." She laughed as Kaylie rolled her eyes, she was almost a spitting image of Casey…darn that smirk and hair!

"Oh please! He won't be scared…I think. We of the McDonald attitude are quite intimidating!" Casey's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Are you sure you're seven?" She shrugged and began to gush about how cool it would be to finally see her family. Casey smiled and nodded, offering different stories about her days in the McDonald/Venturi household.

"Are you serious? You two actually fought over the fact his best friend liked you?!" Kaylie asked; her eyes wide with disbelief. Casey nodded, still chuckling.

"You see; at that point, Sam and I had already dated-"

"Whoa, whoa…Sam, as in Sam Shepherd? As in number seven on the Leafs? You dated him?!" Kaylie's jaw was dropped as she stared at her mother. "No way. Does he remember you?" Case smiled at her daughter.

"We still talk. He calls me, I call him…we became really great friends." Kaylie sighed.

"And why am I only finding this out now?" She asked pointedly and Casey shrugged.

"It never came up…anyways, Sam and I had already dated and he told Derek that he liked me again and this whole thing happened. I don't even remember it fully." She rolled her eyes at the petty fights se and Derek used to have.

"So…are we almost there?" Kaylie asked and Casey sighed.

"I was waiting for that to come up…"

"I'm so excited to see Case!" Lizzie cried, jumping around, doing the most random things as Edwin lounged on the couch, watching his fiancée go crazy.

"Yeah, and she said she has a surprise…also said something about having an extra empty room." Edwin said; his voice muffled through a mouth full of chips.

"Probably bringing a guy." She rolled her eyes, "I despise that possibility." She said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the door.

"Eh…you only say that 'cause you don't know what happened with her and Derek and it's killing you. You never really let go of the fact they aren't together anymore." He shrugged and she violently threw a pillow at his head, which he dodged expertly.

"You _know_ you're dying to find out. Which we will!" She said.

"Right, Liz. Good luck with that." Once again, she rolled her eyes and threw something at his head; this time nailing his cheek. "Hey!" She shrugged and stuck her tongue out. Before Edwin could act there was a knock at the door. Lizzie darted to the door and opened it excitedly.

"Oh my God, it's so great- oh it's you." Her voice drained completely as she saw Derek in the doorway instead of Casey.

"Thanks, Liz; it's great to see you too." He said with a raised eyebrow. Edwin stood beside her and pushed her shoulder slightly.

"Oh! No, it's just I was hoping to see…" A devious smile appeared on her face as she spoke. "Someone else; another guest, but you're always welcome." She hugged him and looked at Edwin pointedly. "I don't need your luck." She said and hopped up the stairs. Edwin watched and bit his lip and he heard her laughing menacingly.

"Wow…Dude, she may be weirder than you." Derek said an amused eyebrow quirked up. Edwin sighed and shook his head.

"Welcome home, bro. It's good to see you…finally." He said pointedly.

"Well, you know…I was just busy-"

"Avoiding Casey." He finished the sentence for Derek and Derek nodded shamefully.

"Yeah…kind of. Sorry."

"No need to be; she hasn't been around either. Now if you'll excuse me, I owe Lizzie fifty bucks."

"What was the bet this time?" Derek asked, amused.

"Oh…you'll find out." He saw a glimpse of a car parking outside the house and he smirked. "Sooner than you think, actually." And with that he descended up the stairs.

"Never mind, Ed, you're still the weirdest!" He called up and jumped at the sound of a shriek.

"Oh my God! You're-you're Derek Venturi!" Kaylie jumped up and down and stared at her hockey idol.

"Uh…yeah, I am…who are you?" He eyed the little girl standing before him, not really seeing just…looking.

"Kaylie, just because the door was open does not mean you barge right on…in." Casey's eyes met those of Derek and she froze momentarily. "Derek." She said softly and he looked at her in amazement.

"What's going on? Oh…" Nora stepped in from the kitchen and looked at the awkward sight. "Okay, could you guys, maybe refrain on fighting? George's turning fifty…we don't want any blow-ups." Casey smiled at her mother and pulled Kaylie away from Derek and into the view of Nora.

"Mom, this is my daughter, Kaylie." Nora looked down at her and smiled in amazement.

"Wow she's-"

"She's your what?!" Derek asked in astonishment. Casey puffed out her cheeks and turned to look at him.

"_My_ daughter; I'm going to unpack." Casey took up off the stairs with the bags and headed into her old room.

"So, kiddo, you like hockey?" Derek asked as Kaylie sat on the sofa while he lounged in his recliner, the channel set to a hockey game.

"Duh…" She said, stealing a hand full of popcorn from the bowl on Derek's lap. He smirked.

"You're a pretty cool kid. Are you sure you're Casey's daughter?" The happiness in Kaylie's eyes disappeared and was replaced by rage as she looked at Derek.

"I'm proud to be my mom's daughter; she survived so much, she went to college, work, pregnancy and raising me all at once. She could have easily given me up, but she didn't. I don't know my dad, but if he wasn't decent enough to stick around than I don't want to know him. If he walked away from my mom because she was pregnant with me then he's completely stupid. So, yes, I'm sure I'm her daughter, and I'm proud of it; because if I have even half the strength she did…then I can survive anything in life." She got up off the couch and turned to leave, leaving Derek stunned.

"Wait, kid!" He got up and she stopped, turning to face him. "I didn't mean it like that, I apologize, I know Casey's strong. I was just kidding." Kaylie shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. Now you know, I don't take well to people talking about my mom like that, whether you're her brother or not."

"Step." He muttered as she walked away and into the kitchen.

"He must've been shocked." Sam's voice said as Casey rubbed her temple, her cell phone pressed tightly to her ear.

"He flipped, after, like a minute, he just yelled 'she's your what?' I think they were watching a hockey game together after that…I nearly fainted at the sight of the backs of their heads…literally, it's like she's got a wig made out of his hair. The resemblance is crazy." Casey explained.

"Wow, I believe it. Listen, you said she's a fan of the Leafs?"

"Obsessed fan." Casey chuckled and Sam accompanied her.

"Well…how about I get you two amazing seats to the game tomorrow? My treat, as long as I get to meet the Leafs' greatest fan." Casey smiled; Sam was such a great friend.

"Thanks, but I don't-"

"Don't worry about it. I get 'em for free anyways." He said nonchalantly.

"Thanks, Sam. Kaylie'll be thrilled." Casey said.

"No problem, after the game we'll grab something to eat…and y'know, maybe Derek'll join us…" He mumbled the last part and Casey's brows furrowed.

"Sorry, what was that?" She asked.

"Maybe Derek will join us?" He asked slowly and Casey froze momentarily.

"Derek…as in Derek Venturi, as in my Kaylie's father, as in my ex-boyfriend, as in my stepbrother?" She asked frantically. "You want him to _join_ us?!" She cried into the phone's mouthpiece.

"Okay…OW! This thing called a phone, yeah, _it's near my ear_!" He whined into the phone and she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever Sam; I know Kaylie is like…Derek's number one fan or whatever; so _you _ask him to come and mention _nothing_ of my approval. Okay?" She was pretty sure she heard Sam gulp and smirked.

"Yes, ma'am!" He said into the phone. Casey chuckled and he sighed. "See you tomorrow at six?" He asked.

"Yup; me and Kay, in those disgusting seats …watching the Leafs kick some Canadien ass!" She said and Sam let out a whoop.

"That's the spirit we want at that game tomorrow! Don't de-perk yourself, 'kay? We need that; we live for that…especially Derek!" He said the last part in a sing-song voice and Casey smiled sadly.

"I know, Sam…but it makes no difference. You know what happened the night I left…you know why, and you know more than anyone else does. I trust you to not tell him…that's my job, and he finds out from me and me only…that will most likely never happen."

"Case, he deserves to know. What are you afraid of?" Sam asked softly, knowing this was a touchy subject for her.

"Rejection…of not only me, but of Kaylie. I'm afraid he won't believe me…or he will; you know he'd feel obligated to take care of his child…and whoosh goes his career as top player in the NHL. I couldn't live with myself if I did that."

"Casey he-"

"I gotta go. See you tomorrow." Casey dismissed and flipped her phone shut then sighed deeply before plopping down on her bed and staring at the ceiling; begging the tears to go away as she remembered that night.

_Eighteen year-old Casey McDonald sat on her bed, curled up and reading a book as she waited for her Derek Venturi, her boyfriend, to get home. Faintly she heard a door open and slam shut and she smiled, knowing it was him coming in. She sat up straight and waited for him to walk through her door._

"_You awake?" He whispered through the door and popped his head in._

"_Yes, Derek, I'm awake…I was waiting for you; I've got some…news." She smiled a half-smile and he looked at her, trying to return with his own but he failed miserably._

"_Look, I've got something to say too…but you can go first." He said, and sat at the foot of her bed, she leaned in to kiss him but he just stood up, as though he hadn't noticed._

"_Um…why don't you go first?" Casey offered and he nodded._

"_Look, Casey…you know I love you right?" She nodded, smiling. "That'll never change, got it? I…I've really been messing up my life lately and my dad…he seems so disappointed in me. I need him to be proud of me, you know? I think, dating my stepsister isn't exactly the right way to get him to be proud of me…sorry, but it's over, Casey." Casey's smiled dropped all at once and she stared at him, waiting for him to say 'joking!' or for some sign that he wasn't for real._

"_I-I…okay." She said; her voice just above a whisper. He nodded and stood awkwardly._

"_What was it you needed to say?" He asked before leaving. Her eyes were brimmed with unshed tears, though Derek couldn't see due to the dark, as she looked up at him._

"_It isn't important anymore." He nodded then swiftly exited her room, she stared at the closed door he just left through and the tears spilled over like an overflowing bathtub. She stood and walked over to her closet, pulling out her suitcases and clothes. She was leaving._

_With everything packed, all she needed to do was grab the keys to her car and the directions on her desk to the performing arts college she got a full scholarship to in Toronto. She stood in the midst of her empty room; feeling as though something was being left behind._

_She shook off the feeling and left. One piece of Derek was coming with her; and many secrets along with it._

"Wow, you've got Casey's eyes exactly!" Lizzie said as she was introduced to Kaylie.

"Thanks, I love 'em!" Kaylie said, grinning widely.

"So cute." Lizzie gushed and turned to Edwin. "Isn't she?" Edwin nodded.

"I'm gonna go grab a large stick." He said, walking into the backyard.

"For what?" Kaylie asked incredulously.

"So I can _beat_ all the pretty boys out there who want a piece of you with the pretty stick." He explained and Lizzie smiled.

"He's so protective." Kaylie shrugged and smiled.

"It's okay. Makes up for my lack of a dad." She explained and Lizzie felt a tang of pain hit her.

"Oh…"

"Don't feel sorry; it's fine, my mom is awesome. I admire her a lot." Lizzie smiled at the young girl as she went to join Edwin outside.

"If only she knew…" Lizzie said softly to herself.

_Lizzie woke up earlier than usual and went to check if Casey was awake. She trailed to the room but once she got there she was utterly shocked. A gasp escaped her throat and she stepped into the room.__ All that was left the bed, its comforter and blankets and the furniture. She walked in and heard something from inside the closet fall._

_She jumped slightly and opened the closet, a shoebox had tipped over and its contents were spilled onto the floor; slowly, Lizzie went through each item one by one. She stopped as she found a pregnancy test that read positive and a piece of paper, it looked crumpled at the edges with tear stains and the ink was smudged. She read through it as best she could._

_**I'm pregnant, I found out today. Only Sam knows and I plan on telling Derek soon. I don't know how he'll take it, but I know he'll be a great father. He's fantastic with Marti…and I love him so much. I know we're young, but **__**I have faith in him, faith in us. We can make it together…I just hope he loves me enough to be here for me…**_

_Lizzie's eyes watered; she knew what had happened now. Casey and Derek…they had dated. Casey was pregnant, and for some reason she left. Lizzie figured it was one of three things._

_Casey hadn't told him, and she felt she shouldn't have, so she took off._

_They broke up so Casey hadn't told him and left._

_Derek rejected the baby and Casey…so she ran._

"Dude, it was crazy seeing her again…God, she looks good." Derek said as he tilted his head back, his eyes closed as he talked to Sam before the game.

"You need to talk to her." Sam said pointedly. "I mean…_talk_, as in conversation." He said and Derek sighed.

"I find it hard to just be in the presence of her without jumping the chick, how the hell do I sit there, and listen to her and watch her lips move to something that isn't my own?" Derek asked annoyed and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Don't stare at her lips, Nimrod." He said.

"That's a hard thing to do. You know…she's got a daughter. A seven year old daughter. Meaning she was with somebody within the same year we were together and broke up. Damn chick bounces back fast." He muttered and Sam's jaw clenched.

"Sure Derek." He stood up and left Derek on the bench, lacing his skates.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Derek asked himself as he left the locker room.

"Mommy, this is so cool!" Kaylie cried out from her seat.

"Yeah…it is, you need to thank Sam when we see him, okay? He got these amazing tickets for us." Kaylie's eyes widened.

"I…I'm going to meet two hockey stars in the matter of two days?! This. Is. SO. Cool!!!" Casey laughed as Kaylie did her sitting dance again.

"And all you need to do is cheer on the Leafs and boo the Canadiens." Casey explained and Kaylie smiled largely, watching as the team aligned onto the ice.

"And Venturi scores again! Five, three, Leafs!" The announcer claimed excitedly.

"Woo! GO EIGHTEEN!" Kaylie screamed at the top of her lungs and Casey joined her with woos.

"The puck is aligned, Shepherd has a straight shot…he shoots…and…oh! It's blocked off by Lipinski!"

"Leafs! Leafs! Leafs! Leafs!" The crowd chanted loudly. The buzzer sounded, signifying half-time. The home team, being the Toronto Maple Leafs, gathered around the coach and when they had their play they talked amongst themselves. Sam made his way over to where Casey and Kaylie were sitting and waved.

"Having fun, Kaylie?" Her eyes widened and she smiled largely, showing off her missing front tooth and nodded frantically. "Glad to hear it!" He smiled and skated back to the team.

"Oh my God; Sam Shepherd knows my name!" Kaylie said, her joy showing tremendously.

The buzzer sounded and the teams aligned on the ice again.

"My God it's freezing in here." Casey muttered, teeth chattering. Kaylie rolled her eyes.

"Duh, Mommy; this is a skating rink." She said. "Look, Derek's gonna score again!" She watched intently leaning closer to the glass slightly to see.

"Venturi has the puck…he shoots…he scores! Six, three, Leafs! The game's looking good for the home team right about now, Venturi with a streak of four goals!" The announcer said.

"Go Derek!" The two of them shouted loudly. His head whipped around and he saw Casey smiling and watching the game and him. For some reason, he saw her in slow motion, so when it registered that her face went from joy to shock he had already been body checked up against the glass and she cringed.

"Pay attention, Venturi!" The coach barked at him and he shook it off, getting up and joining his teammates.

"Ow…that probably hurt." Casey mumbled and Kaylie looked between Derek and Casey, her brows furrowed.

"He got checked 'cause he was _checkin'_ something else." She said pointedly, an eyebrow rose. Casey's eyes widened.

"Young lady, you are seven years old, you don't speak that way! Who taught you that?!"

"I heard Uncle Edwin and Uncle Derek talking." She said innocently, though Casey knew she was far from it.

"I'm going to have to talk to Derek." Casey muttered, turning her attention back at the game.

"Dude…seven, three! Can you believe it?!" Sam asked and Derek glared at him.

"You gave them tickets." Sam raised an eyebrow at him.

"Who?"

"You know damn straight who. You gave Kaylie and Casey tickets. You knew she had a daughter before I told you!" Sam shrugged.

"We kept in touch, she told me." Derek looked at him in disbelief.

"And you never told me?"

"She said not to, D. Look you really need to talk to her. I'm taking her and Kaylie out to eat, come along." Sam walked away into the showers and Derek stood there, why was Sam so set on him talking to Casey?

"That was so cool; thank you so much Mr. Shepherd!" Kaylie cried out as Sam met them in front of the hockey rink.

"Don't mention it, and call me Sam…Mr. Shepard makes me sound old." Casey laughed and gave him a side hug.

"Thanks Sam."

"Don't go thanking me just yet. I've invited-"

"Hey, you ditch me in the locker room? What kind of best friend are you?" Derek's voice said from behind Sam.

"-Derek." Casey inwardly groaned and her mind screamed 'DRAMA'.

"You were so great Uncle Derek!" Kaylie cried out and hugged him; he returned the hug and laughed slightly.

"Four goals, it was impressive until you got body checked." Casey said with a sweet smile. For the first time in seven years their eyes locked. A collision of blue and brown. Secrets swimming around, hidden hurt, scared desire, and most importantly, longing of love in their eyes.

"Hey, Kaylie, want to go to the restaurant in my Porsche?" Kaylie beamed at Sam and nodded.

"Can I go Mom?" Casey nodded and Sam smirked.

"Great so you'll catch a ride with Derek. Fantastic." It wasn't really registered what Sam had said as he walked away, they were too lost in thoughts and memories.

"Why'd you leave?" He asked quietly and saw her eyes looking lost. Looking like those of a teenage runaway, no longer a teenager.

"You don't need to know that." She replied, just above a whisper.

"You don't think I deserve too? I woke up and you were gone." He said and she heard his words drip with sadness.

"What did it matter? You put your happiness before anyone else's. That's the way it was, that's the way it always will be. I was stupid to think different." She said coldly.

"You don't really believe that. You seriously regret being with me?" She sighed.

"No. I don't; we should go, Kaylie is on the way to the restaurant." She turned to leave but Derek grabbed her arm and spun her into him. She was pressed against his hard chest and their faces were mere centimeters apart.

"I never put myself before you." He whispered before pushing his lips against hers in a hard kiss. Casey felt the familiar tears hit her cheeks as he caressed her lips lovingly with his own. Her hands felt cold, her lips warm and her tears warm. She melted in the kiss, but the tears didn't subside.

Derek felt the moisture from her face flow onto his and he separated from her lips, resting his forehead on hers. "Why are you crying?" He whispered, wiping away the tears with his thumb.

"I can't do this with you, Derek. You hurt me; you don't know how much you hurt me." His arms that were around her waist moved to her shoulder blades, he was about to protest when he felt her shoulders roll and she slipped from his grasp. "Let's just go." He led her to his mustang and they got in, not another word was said between the two throughout the car ride.

"It was so cool; the car is so totally awesome!" Kaylie gushed to Casey as they waited for their waiter to come and take their orders. "Our car looks to be as good as a sponge-mobile compared to Sam's!" Casey laughed at her daughter's comparison.

"Well, sure; Sam's a pro-athlete and he lives in a penthouse and he makes great money…" Casey went on and Kaylie rolled her eyes, causing Derek to laugh. Casey looked at Kaylie and smiled. "Get the point?" Kaylie nodded and smiled back at her mother.

"Sure, Mommy." Kaylie said and handed the waiter her menu.

"Are you ready to order?" She asked nervously, glancing at Derek and Sam.

"Yup, I'll have the large t-bone steak with extra fires." He said, followed by a loud growl from his stomach.

"Geez, Sammy, tell that thing to quiet down." Derek muttered and Sam glanced down at his stomach.

"Sh…quiet down!" He said to it, causing Kaylie, Casey and the waitress to chuckle lightly.

"Can I have the chicken fingers and fries?" Kaylie asked and the waitress nodded.

"Sure, Sweetie." The waitress said, jotting it down.

"I'll have the same as Blondie over there, except extra-large, thanks." The waitress smiled and directed her attention to Casey.

"Oh, I'll have…um…" She glanced down at her menu nervously and Derek rolled his eyes.

"She'll have the grilled chicken breast with salad instead of fries." The waitress nodded and wrote it down.

"Anything else?" They shook their heads and the waitress left.

"That was rude." Casey muttered to Derek, who was sitting beside her.

"Oh please, what's rude is the fact you take forever and you order the same thing every time." He mumbled and rolled his eyes.

"How do you know that's what I was going to order? I could've-"

"Casey!" He whined, signaling her to shut up. "I don't care; you could have protested and changed your order! If you want, I'll buy you something else!" He said exasperatedly.

"It's fine; but that was still rude." She huffed, and one again, he rolled his eyes.

"Are they always like this?" Kaylie asked Sam as she watched the two adults bicker over nothing.

"Pretty much." He said with a shrug. _Well, except for the time…_

"_Aw! Derek this is so sweet!" Casey gushed as Derek set down a blanket. Derek had blind-folded her since she got in the car; he drove from London to Scarborough and now here they were at some small club, sitting on a bank of grass, looking out into the glistening water of Lake Ontario. "The view is gorgeous." She said, staring into the still water._

"_I think I like my view better." He whispered; his eyes fixated on Casey. Her head whirled around to him slowly and he peered into her eyes and leaned in, caressing her lips softly. He leaned over so she lay on her back and he hovered over her. In a matter of minutes, it got pretty heated and before they knew it, a few pieces of clothing were the only thing in between them._

"_We can wait." He assured her. "I don't care if I have to wait until marriage to be with you." His eyes widened at the realization at what he said and he was quick to cover it up. "I mean, if we do get married. Not saying that we won't but, I mean, I don't know. We're young we aren't gonna get married now, I mean unless you want to, 'cause you know I love you, but why would you want to get married now, not saying that you don't, I mean-"_

_He was cut-off abruptly by her bra hitting his face, followed by her lips on his._

"_You talk too much." She mumbled as he kissed down her neck and down her torso, stopping at the waistband of her underwear._

"_Are you sure?" He asked worriedly. She looked into his eyes and nodded. "It'll hurt." He warned and she smiled softly._

"_I'm ready." He took a deep breath and thrust into her._

_Casey lay in Derek's arms and he played with her hair as they looked into each other's eyes._

"_You're amazing." He whispered._

"_I love you." She whispered back and he smiled; ever since they finished he had this goofy grin plastered onto his face, it made her laugh every once in a while. "But if you keep that grin on your face, George will find out what happened and he'll murder you." She chuckled lightly as he tried to stop grinning but failed miserably._

"_I can't help it; you just gave me your virginity and you expect me to frown?" He asked._

"_No; but if you want our parents to find out we're together, you best not be so forward about it._

"_I can try, I make no promises though." He said, rubbing his nose against hers. "I love you." He whispered and they fell asleep, tangled limbs and all._

…_he was grinning like an idiot for a week._ Sam finished his thought as he brought his attention back to the table.

"You know what? Forget it." Casey finished and put up her hand as though to say 'stop'.

"Whatever." Derek rolled his eyes as the waitress came over with the food.

"Here you are." She gave them their orders and left.

"I need to use the washroom." Casey said bluntly to Derek.

"Uh-thanks for sharing?" He said, an eyebrow rose. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, why don't you let me through?" She said and he got up grudgingly.

"There you go, _Princess_." He said before sitting again; letting his eyes wander her retreating form before snapping back to reality.

"Hey, remember how you used to-" Sam began, a smirk planted firmly on his lips.

"Finish that sentence and die." Derek cut in, remembering what used to happen. _Actually, thinking back, I think the idea sounds even more appealing…_

"_Derek, I need to use the washroom." Casey whined as Derek remained where he was seated._

"_So? Like I said, if you really need to go, climb over me." He said, smirking and shrugging._

"_Derek!" She scolded__ and he looked at her innocently._

"_What?"_

"_That's ridiculous, just let me by, I promise I'll climb over you at home." She said, rolling her eyes._

"_As appealing as that sounds, you still need to get out somehow." He said pointedly._

"_Please…" She pouted and he looked away._

"_I refuse to look at that pout, it's far too cute and you get anything you want with it, there's no way I'm caving." He said._

"_D, let her by." Sam said as he watched Casey pout, trying to get Derek to look at her._

"_Nuh-uh, you know you'd ask Emily to climb over you." He said pointedly and Emily rolled her eyes._

"_No, I wouldn't. And she wouldn't climb over me anyways." He said pointedly back at Derek._

"_Whatever, I'm not getting up, so if Casey needs to pee, she can simply climb over me." He explained, looking over to find that Casey was gone. "Whoa, where the hell did she go?"_

"_Hey, genius." Casey was standing next to the booth. "Next time, remember the fact I can crawl from underneath the table." She rolled her eyes as he glanced between her former seat and where she was standing now._

"_But…" he smirked, "you still need to get back in." She groaned with realization and his smirk enlarged._

"_You suck." She said, sitting on his lap then shifting over to where she sat._

"_Ugh…teenagers don't know how to respect public places." An elderly woman muttered passing by, making Casey turn crimson. Derek looked at her and wiggled his eyebrows._

"_Shut up!" She cried out to him. "That was so totally your fault!" She said, Sam and Emily glancing confusedly between the two._

"_Oh no, I recall you saying 'I'm ready'; don't blame me for being a red-blooded teenage boy." He said and she groaned, resting her head in her hands._

…_I think I'd rather have her climb me facing forwards though…Mm…Casey straddling me…Whoa! Snap back, no more thoughts like that; look her daughter is right there! _He mentally yelled at himself.

"Yo, D, are you okay?" Sam asked, waving a hand in his face. "You zoned out for a minute there." Derek glared at him.

"You made me remember that stupid time at the restaurant." He grumbled and Sam smirked.

"What time at the restaurant?" Kaylie asked, sitting there looking lost in the matter.

"Oh-uh…nothing. It doesn't matter." Derek mumbled.

"Can I get you a refill?" The waitress asked and Kaylie nodded.

"Thank you." The waitress smiled at her.

"No problem; you've got such a well-mannered daughter." She directed at Derek and his eyes widened.

"Oh no, no. She's not my daughter, she's my niece, and actually she's not even-"

"Oh, sorry; you two just look alike…the hair is like an exact replica…" She said as she walked away, and for the first time, Derek really looked at Kaylie. Her hair, it was exactly like his…but everything else was Casey.

"Wow, it really is alike." Sam muttered. Kaylie shrugged.

"So? It's called a recessive gene. Or maybe my dad has this hair." She said and Sam hid a smirk.

"More than possible." He said and Derek just shook out of his stupor; the likeness between Kaylie and Casey was scary, if you couldn't tell those two were mother and daughter, you must've been blind.

"Um…Uncle Derek?" Kaylie asked sheepishly.

"Yeah?"

"I'm a really big fan…and I was wondering if maybe…you could, you know, play…hockey…with me?" She asked, growing deeper in a red shade, Derek smiled at her.

"Sure; tomorrow." She looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Really?"

"Really." She smiled largely, showing off her missing front tooth and thanked him over and over again.

From a distance, Casey watched.

"I can't tell you, you'd break her heart…" She whispered, tears stinging her eyes before returning to the table.

"I can't wait!" Kaylie cried out happily. "Uncle Derek said, not only will he play with me, he'll teach me new things and we're gonna spend the day together!" Casey watched her daughter with a sad smile.

"I'm glad you're going to have so much fun, now get your bag and put it by the door, this way when he gets here you'll be all ready." Kaylie nodded they headed down the stairs.

"This is going to be so cool!" She cried as she bounded slowly down to the living room. Casey remained in her old bedroom and felt a wave of emotion come over her…the times she and Derek spent here hit her hard.

"You can't know, you won't love her…you can't hurt her like you did me; I won't let that happen." She whispered before following Kaylie down the stairs.

"So…do you know how to play?" Derek asked as they laced up their skates.

"Pfft! Center forward, first string on my team. Best female player in the league." She smiled proudly. "In fact, I think I'm the best, some of the guys can't even come close!" She said confidently.

"Wow; I know you're proud of Case and everything…but she can't even skate!" He said, chuckling, Kaylie joined him.

"I know, she's hopelessly clumsy. Oh well." She shrugged and got onto the ice. "I really need some help on my slap shots!" She called over as he stood and walked over to the ice.

"Okay, we'll work on that." He said, handing her a hockey stick. "Alright…bend your knees a little more…okay, hand hear," he placed her left hand in the right place, "and the other hear," he placed her right in the proper place. "Gives you more power." She nodded and he put the puck down before her.

"Okay…I'll try." She wound up and hit the puck hard, sending it into the net in a flash.

"Woo! Go Kaylie!" Derek cheered, pumping his arms and circling her.

"Thank you, thank you." She took a couple of bows and the laughed.

"How 'bout a little goal practice, I promise I'll go easy on ya." He smirked and went into the net, she rolled her eyes, a smile planted on her lips and took a shot.

"_Oh my God, Derek. I'm going to fall!" Casey cried out, hugging Derek's arm for balance._

"_Casey…you won't fall; you're practically attached to my arm!" he said calmly back to her._

"_Doesn't matter. You're going to let go, and I'm going to fall on my ass." She explained; her eyes fixated on the ice._

"_Baby, I promise you won't fall." He said, taking his arm away slowly._

"_You can't make that sort of promise, Derek! You don't know if I'll-whoa!" She screamed as she plopped onto the ice, her butt firmly placed down as her legs sprawled out in front of her. "…fall." She finished deadpanned. Derek started to burst out in laughter._

"_Oh my God…that was hilarious!" He cried out in between his laughter. She pouted._

"_It's not funny Derek; my butt hurts." She sat there and huffed, he rolled his eyes, his laughter subsiding slowly._

"_Come on, Baby; stand up…the ice won't hurt you anymore." He said as though he were talking to a three year old instead of an eighteen year old._

"_Sure, joke about it. We'll see who's laughing when you want a good make out session and I kiss your cheek." She said pointedly and he stopped immediately._

"_Chick plays hardball." He muttered as he helped her up. "And just for that, we're going to my car and having a very hot make out session right now." He said to her as he dragged her along the ice._

"_Fine; that's the only hockey I'll ever play…the tonsil kind." She said and he laughed._

"_Fine by me."_

"I don't care if you weren't even trying; the point is I scored three goals on hockey superstar Derek Venturi! I'm so going to brag about this!" Kaylie said as they headed for Derek's car.

"You're a pretty good player; I wasn't expecting it." Derek said honestly. "And truth be told, you scored one of those with my full potential at being a goalie…which isn't much but is still pretty darn awesome for you!" He said, and ran his fingers through her hair, messing it up.

"Whoa…I scored a goal on Derek Venturi…and he admitted he didn't let me do it!" She gushed then looked at him. "If you were the goalie for the Leafs then I'd feel sorry for them." She smirked as he looked at her in slight shock; then he saw it, and slight shock went to utter shock in a millisecond. He looked into a mirror image of his smirk. It was like a mini Casey with his hair and his smirk…and it was freaky as hell.

"Yeah, yeah, just don't go saying that to Sam…he'll tell the whole team." He shuddered with mock fright and she laughed.

"Thanks Uncle Derek; you didn't have to hang out with me…dragging a seven year old around and playing hockey with her probably wasn't anything on your list of want to do's." She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Actually, it was number one." He ruffled her hair again and they drove away.

"Aw! Look how cute they are!" Kaylie gushed as she tapped on the glass of the dog pound. Derek smiled as he watched her.

"Wanna take a look?" She smiled largely and nodded. They walked through the door and she immediately fell in love with a golden Labrador puppy.

"Aw…look at this one!" She peered at it. Derek smiled as she watched joy overcome Kaylie's face.

"Excuse me, can we see this one?" he asked a clerk and he nodded.

"Sure- good Lord, you're Derek Venturi!" The clerk said as he turned around, Derek cringed.

"Yeah, I am, and I'd still like to see this dog." The clerk nodded happily.

"Sure, of course, just go into that room right there and I'll bring in the dog." Derek nodded and took Kaylie into the room.

"I don't know why I'm doing this; it'll only make it harder, I'll never be able to have a dog…" Kaylie said and Derek smiled sadly. Before he could say anything the clerk came in a put the dog on the floor.

"She's a Labrador; fully trained. She was being abused. Her name is Brownie." Derek stood and took the clerk into the corner and watched as Kaylie played happily on the floor with Brownie.

"Can we put that dog on hold?"

"We don't usually-"

"I'll pay you. Triple than that dog is worth." The clerk smiled.

"Of course we can hold it for you; but only until tomorrow…my manager won't be happy if she finds out." He grumbled. "Just be back tomorrow morning to claim it or I put it back on legibility." Derek nodded and the clerk left.

"She's so friendly! Why would somebody abuse her?" Kaylie asked as she picked up Brownie and walked over to Derek.

"I don't know;" he scratched the dog behind its ears and smiled. "But we best be going." Kaylie nodded and gave Brownie back to the clerk before leaving.

"We're going to that little Italian restaurant…you know the one you used to meet all your dates at?" Nora said as they drove off; Casey gulped. No, that wouldn't be an emotional overload…

She only spent almost every night there with Derek!

"Okay." That was all she could say without blurting, "hell no! I had the most amazing memories in that place with the man I still love and who is playing mind games with me!" Good thing she didn't do that…

"Mommy, Uncle Derek took me all over the place, but the best part was when we went to the dog pound and there was this little golden Labrador named Brownie, it was so cute! I wish we could get a dog." She said excitedly until the end when she turned slightly sad.

"Well, why can't you?" Derek asked.

"We can't, Derek." Casey protested.

"Why not, I asked. You've no reason to say no to her, just get the girl a dog!" Derek argued.

"The apartment doesn't allow pets." Casey stated, the rest of the family just watching. Derek rolled his eyes.

"It's okay Kaylie; you can keep him at my place." He winked and she smiled.

"Derek, you live in a penthouse! You seriously think the hotel will let you keep a dog there?!"

"Please! All I've got to do is pay 'em! Plus, my penthouse is probably bigger than your apartment anyways!" The table fell silent and Casey's eyes burned with tears. "Case, I'm so-"

"No. You know what Derek? You're right. Your penthouse probably is bigger than my apartment. But you know what else? You aren't a single mother, raising a daughter without child support. You don't what the hell my life is like, okay? So when you have to work three jobs to make ends meet and you still have an okay place to live in and raise your daughter, then you can come bragging to me about how where you live is bigger than where I live!" Casey shouted, drawing attention to the table as she noisily got up and left.

"Casey!" Derek stood and called out to her but she kept walking, wiping away at her eyes incessantly. "Casey stop!" He ran after her and she picked up her speed. They were walking down the street now and Derek was glancing around, praying the paparazzi wouldn't swarm just now. "Casey wait! I'm sorry!" She stopped abruptly and turned to face his.

"Sorry. That's what you have to say?" She laughed bitterly. "That's what you said seven years ago when you dumped me because you were unhappy due to the fact you thought your father was disappointed in you."

"I-"

"So I have one thing to tell you, Venturi. Get bent!" She screeched and walked away again. Derek walked after her and grabbed her wrist, making her turn around, but just as he was about to speak light bulbs flashed all around.

"There he is!" One cried out.

"Derek Venturi, who is your new friend?" One asked, Derek realized her wrist wasn't in his hand anymore and he glanced around, desperately searching for her.

"Thanks, Sam." A muffled voice came and Derek whipped around, finding the noise came from somewhere behind a dumpster. He pushed through the paparazzi and found Casey.

"Case…I didn't-"

"Bring Kaylie home, will you?" She cut him off and he nodded. "_Thank you_." She said bitterly before walking off, completely brushing off the cameras.

"Mr. Venturi! Derek Venturi! Venturi!" Different reporters called out.

"Who is she- your new- love her- mystery girl- her name- how did you- who's Kaylie- you live together- where do you- is she your- daughter?" One person's loud question only came out in the end and Derek shook his head, clearing his mind.

"Daughter?" He whispered to himself. He seemed to be getting too much of that lately.

"Good night, Uncle Derek." Kaylie said sleepily as he tucked her in.

"Night Kay." He took one last look into her eyes before she fell asleep. Looking into those eyes, they seemed so familiar. To close for comfort, familiar, he didn't like it; he didn't like staring into the eyes of a teenage runaway, his teenage runaway. Hit with déjà vu like a bright yellow school bus by looking into those eyes, he felt nauseous. He needed to get away.

"I'm seeing things." He whispered to himself as he stood, but it seemed everywhere he looked he saw those eyes; those bright blue eyes that haunted him, but now; it was being taken to a whole new level of haunt. He lay in his bed, willing those eyes to leave his mind…and to his dismay; they did, leaving a whole new, and even more dreadful, memory.

"_It's not important." He left and closed the door behind him then leaned against it. His mind burned with the image of her eyes, glowing softly in the moonlight. There was a look in those eyes, he didn't like that look. He'd seen it before somewhere._

_Oh yes, his mother. It was a look of…something. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. He didn't like that, not one bit. He loved Casey, he really did…he knew in the back of his mind he'd regret doing that, but right now he couldn't think about it._

_At the moment it didn't register that in the morning, the only thing he'd want to do was go into her room and kiss her senselessly, telling her he was an idiot and he didn't mean anything he'd said to her the night before…it didn't register he'd never see her the same way again._

"I don't think I can stay here for much longer, but I don't want to leave before George's birthday…" Casey said to Sam over the phone.

"Why don't you and Kay spend the rest of the week here?" Sam offered, "And before you protest, I won't take no as an answer, I've got plenty of room and I want to help."

"Sam, you've already done so much; I couldn't-"

"I'll come get your things tomorrow afternoon." Case sighed.

"Thank you Sam, thank you so much; you're a great friend." She could tell he was smiling.

"No problem Case. Bye."

"Bye." She hung up and laid in her bed. "He'll reject her; I know he will; what's stopping him from the same excuse as before? He'll never know." She whispered before falling asleep.

"_So…you went through your whole pregnancy alone?" Sarah, the girl who lived next-door and often babysat Kaylie asked she also had a child; a son named Nathaniel. The difference was, she got child support, she was eighteen and at this time, Casey was twenty and Kaylie was two._

"_Yeah; I know Nathaniel's father didn't really care, but you're lucky you still the some help. Guys are assholes." Casey muttered._

"_So…was it a one-night stand sort of thing?" Sarah asked, as she burped a six month old, Nathaniel._

"_No. I…we were in love." __**And one of still is…**__ Casey thought bitterly. Sarah was like a best friend to Casey, aside from Sam that was._

"_What-"_

"_I'm here! What's the problem?" Sam said, bursting through the door. Casey chuckled lightly as his appearance; his hair was all over the place and he was sweaty, his shirt on backwards._

"_Sorry, were you at practice?" Casey asked and he gave her a 'duh' look._

"_No, I'm sweaty and gross because I was at a spa." He said sarcastically._

"_Well…" Casey said and Sarah looked confusedly at Sam._

"_Don't you play for the Centennial College team? Why are you here?" She asked._

"_Oh! Sarah, this is Sam; Sam, this is Sarah." She smiled and Sam shook Sarah's hand, to which she shook then rubbed off on her jeans._

"_Sorry; Derek's a jackass." He muttered and Casey eyed oddly._

"_Why?"_

"_Stupid kid runs me into the boards every time he gets the chance…why'd he have to be captain?" he asked himself. "He makes practice ten times harder for me…stupid jackass." He muttered the last part and Casey laughed lightly._

"_Yeah; I know…so, to why you're here…" She began slowly and Sam nodded._

"_You gonna tell me or what?" He asked and she nodded._

"_I…well…I sort of, kind of…can't make rent." She bit her lip and tried to hide her embarrassment. "And I really wouldn't ask, but the landlord said it's either he gets it by two or I'm out…I can't go home because of Kay…and I can't go to Sarah's because she's got no room…" She trailed._

"_What about Derek?" She raised an eyebrow at him and he hit his forehead while nodding. "Right; stupid, stupid, Sam." He dug through his wallet and looked up at her. "How much do you need?" She put up her hands._

"_No, no. I'm not taking any money from you, Sam. I was wondering if…I and Kay could spend some time at your place…just until we find somewhere else." Her cheeks were burning with embarrassment._

"_Tell you what; I'll talk to your landlord, if nothing can be done then you come with me, okay?" He asked and she nodded quickly, jumping up and hugging him._

"_Thank you, thank you, and thank you!" He laughed and they pulled away._

"_No problem." Sam left down the stairs and found Casey's landlord. "Hey, I'm a friend of Ms. McDonald upstairs…I was wondering if she could get an extension on that rent of hers." The plump man shook his head firmly._

"_No can do; I've already given her a few extensions; that girl of hers is cute, but I can't do anything more."_

"_Fine…how much does she owe?" Sam asked._

"_She paid half…I need four-fifty more." He said._

"_Done." Sam gave him a check and the landlord took off Casey's dept. One the man was gone Sam let out a long breath…Casey would kill him, bring him back to life and hug him until she suffocated him when she found out what he'd done._

"But why?" Kaylie asked.

"I'll tell you after, okay Babe?" Casey explained quietly and Kaylie nodded. "Thank you; now get all your stuff ready." Kaylie nodded and Casey kissed her forehead before leaving the room. Casey heard the front door open and shut and saw Derek coming up the stairs quickly.

"Hey…you're leaving?" He asked confusedly. She nodded, avoiding his eyes. "Why?" His eyebrows were knit together and she looked up at him.

"Because." She answered simply and walked into her old room, only to find Derek had followed her in and closed the door behind him.

"That's not an answer." He said, turning her to face him. "Answer me." He said softly.

"I did." She said stubbornly and tried to get out of his grasp, she continued to rant but he tuned her out and stared as her lips moved with her silenced words. His pent up desire for her built to be larger and he shoved her up against a wall, thrusting his lips to hers. His kisses became fervent and he kept her arms against the wall.

His lips worked against her unresponsive ones, she stared wide-eyed in shock, tears building up as his passion grew and he pulled her away from the wall and onto her bed. Her eyes seemed to widen more as his lips left hers and went down her neck; she squirmed from beneath him, trying to get out. He put a knee in between her legs and forcefully separated them. She stared with shock before it registered what he was doing. The tears spilled over.

"Derek…Derek stop! Please!" She wept but he continued as her tears kept falling. "Please, Derek! Stop!" She whimpered as the bulge in his pants grew and she felt it. One of his hands worked the buttons of her shirt while the other gripped her belt, pulling at it. There was a knock at the front door but neither of them heard it. He had her shirt half way undone and she tried harder to push him away.

"Derek, please…please stop!" She sobbed but he paid no attention. His hand left the half undone shirt and went to her belt along with the other one. He almost had it done when the door opened.

"Mommy?" Kaylie asked and Derek got off her with wide eyes, staring as Casey got up and ran to her bags, picked them up then shuffled Kaylie down the stairs while buttoning her shirt. Derek sat in the room, staring down at the spot on the bed where he was about to rape Casey.

"Shit." He grumbled, burying his head in his hands and letting tears fall as he sat in self disgust.

She ran straight into Sam who caught her before she fell backwards. He looked at her with confusion written on his face; her face was tear stained, fear was evident in her eyes and her clothes, along with her hair, were disheveled. A few buttons on her shirt were missing and her belt was half undone.

"What…" He didn't get to finish his sentence because she ran out the door, Kaylie right on her tail, with her bags and into his car. He looked away from her form and saw Derek standing on the steps, a look of regret and worry in his features. "…happened?" He finished quietly.

"She…and I…oh my God…I almost…shit!" He screamed out in aggravation. Sam's eyes wanderer back to his to his car, where he saw Casey in the front seat, trying not to cry in front of Kaylie. "I'm so, so, sorry…" Derek muttered and Sam walked out the door to his car. He sat in the driver's seat and looked at her.

"Are you okay? What happened?" He asked and she looked away from the window and to Kaylie through the mirror then shook her head and averted her eyes back to the window.

"Later." She whispered so quietly he barely heard.

"Okay…" He said then drove off.

"_I'm gonna rape you." He said as he crawled over her, she laughed as he picked up the hem of her shirt with his teeth. "I'm gonna make you strip." He said, his voice muffled as he kissed her neck and shoulder. "I'm gonna _rape_ you." He whispered huskily into her ear, making her giggle._

"_When?" She asked, feigning fright._

"_Soon…" He answered, blowing in her ear softly._

"_Mm…but isn't it only rape if it's against the person's will? Don't you have to be all mean and rough?" She asked breathily and he nodded._

"_You'll pretend…pretend you're being raped by me…then I'm gonna be _really _rough…" He growled and she continued to laugh._

"_So you're gonna rape me?" He nodded. "Well, I'm wanna rape you." She whispered sexily, causing his head to snap up, in time to see her lick her lips. He rolled over, putting her lying on top of him and she straddled him. "Not only do I wanna rape you…but I'm gonna rape you. Right…now." She whispered then bit on his earlobe, making him groan loudly._

"_Oh God!" He groaned out, making Casey smirk._

"_Mm…I gonna be mean," she bit down on collarbone and he moaned, "and rough." She rubbed her lower body against his until she felt him harden beneath her. "Then I'm gonna leave you, making you want to rape me…" She whispered then got off him and sauntered out of his bedroom._

"_Holy shit…that was hot." Derek whispered to himself._

_Neither of them ever thought the day would come that Derek would actually try to do what he had said._

"He really tried to rape you?" Sam asked quietly as the two of them sat on the sofa of the penthouse he lived in. She nodded, tears flowing freely.

"I was so scared, Sam…I begged for him to stop…but he just kept going." He hugged her tightly as she cried harder.

"You know…you at least need to tell Kay who her father is…" Casey nodded.

"She's so confused…she-she asked me I was crying…and I told her that I'd tell her later." Sam sighed.

"Maybe later should be now?" He asked her.

"You're right…she deserves to know; she a great kid." Sam detached from Casey and she shuffled over to the room Kaylie was in. She knocked softly and Kaylie looked up from a book that was in her hands.

"Hey Mommy." She said softly, smiling at Casey, who couldn't help but smile back softly.

"Hey…listen; you know how I never told you about your dad?" Kaylie nodded, "if I tell you now; you promise you won't say anything about it to him?" Kaylie nodded again. "First off…no more calling Derek 'Uncle Derek', okay?"

"Why?" Kaylie asked.

"I'll explain that soon. First off;… he did something really bad to Mommy, okay?" Kaylie nodded.

"What did he do?" Casey sighed deeply and looked into the eyes of her daughter.

"When you walked in…you saw Derek on top of Mommy, right?" Kaylie nodded, knowing this was bad because her mother never referred to herself as 'Mommy' unless it was so. "Well…he was trying to…force Mommy into something somebody shouldn't do unless they want to." Kaylie nodded in understanding.

"Okay."

"Another reason is…Derek isn't your uncle Sweetie."

"I know, you guys are only step-siblings."

"No…that's not what I meant." She looked into Kaylie's eyes, seeing all her confusion. "Derek's your father, Kay."

Derek went back into Casey's old room, seeing something she left behind on the desk. Avoiding any glances towards the bed he looked down at the papers. Birth certificate.

Kaylie's birth certificate.

He read through it quickly and his eyes bugged at the information his eyes feasted on.

Father of child: Venturi, Derek

Father signature: (blank)

Name of child: Kaylie Emma Venturi

"Kaylie…is mine?" He asked himself, staring at the paper, wide-eyed.

"_Um…this space with the father's signature…" Casey trailed and the woman looked at her sympathetically._

"_Don't worry 'bout it, Sweetheart. It's either he can sign it or not." She said with a thick southern accent. "I understand, just leave it blank." She said, waving a hand. Casey smiled at her._

"_Thank you…" She glanced at her name tag, "Lila." With that she left, her newborn daughter wrapped in a bundle with her. "Hey, baby girl…I know it'll be hard without a daddy…but we'll make it; I swear." She said softly as she walked away. But back at the desk, Lila watched her go; tears in her eyes._

"_I tell ya'll; too many young'uns out there turning up like that'un. Too many jack-holes out there, deceiving poor little ladies. I tell ya'll; that boy out there with a daughter walkin' 'round and he ain't got a single clue deserves nothing more than a dang whoopin'." Lila said to herself, watching Casey walk away. "Poor little lady…"_

"But…" Kaylie looked at her mother in awe. "I…he is?" Her eyes glinted with tiny hints of hope.

"Yeah, Baby, he is." Kaylie jumped into her mother's arms and hugged her tightly.

"I love him, Mommy." Kaylie whispered. "Why can't we tell him?" She asked and Casey's eyes stung with tears.

"Because, Baby…I just can't trust him with something as precious as your heart." Casey explained. "He hurt me too many times, Kay. And I know you love him…but I can't risk that." A tear rolled down her cheek slowly and Kaylie wiped it away.

"It's okay, Mommy…don't cry." She embraced her mother tightly again and they stayed in the embrace for a while.

"He said sorry, you know. And the first thing that morning when you weren't there? He really took it hard." Sam's voice said quietly from the doorway. "He was a wreck."

_Derek woke up, the glazed image of Casey's eyes still fresh in his mind. He tore his sheets off and sat up in his bed, his hands placed firmly on his temple._

"_What the hell did I do?" He asked himself harshly. He hung his head in his hands and let out a frustrated yell. "Why the hell would I do that?!" He whispered harshly, tugging on his hair painfully as he ran his fingers through it. He stood up and headed to her room, his mind racing with millions of words stumbling together into babbling nonsense._

"_Case-…what?" He asked, knowing he wouldn't be getting an answer as he stared into her empty room. Lizzie was sitting on the floor, a shoebox in her lap. She looked up at him with wide eyes and hurriedly picked up the box and ran out of the room._

"_Bye." She muttered quickly as she rushed by him, holding the box protectively to her chest. He peered around, searching for some sign of her presence. Knowing that his eyes burning from looking so closely at every crevice of the room. He sat on the foot of the bed; remembering the times he spent there; just talking to her. Or watching her sleep._

"_Bye?" he asked; not to himself, but the emptiness in the room. It almost made him break down into sobs just realizing there was nobody to answer._

_And there probably never would be; all because he did something incredibly idiotic._

_The next day he was dropped off at the college by his parents and family. Normal goodbyes were said and Nora cried. The only thing that stuck out was Lizzie's goodbye when she hugged him._

"_Nothing will ever be the same; and it's your fault." She said in between sniffles. Somehow, he knew only few of those tears were for him. _

_And he couldn't help but feel empty as the goodbyes were said; he couldn't help but feel his question was being answered…_

_For someone else._

"He was messed up for weeks after that point." He said, looking as though he was in a distant place.

"Lizzie said that?" Casey asked; utterly confused. He nodded, looking her in the eyes.

"Yeah; I remember it to the word. Derek repeated it over and over like your name." He said; Casey felt dizzy.

"But…but that means…she knows." Casey whispered. She kissed Kaylie's forehead and quietly asked Sam to tuck her into her bed. Grabbing her cell phone off the kitchen countertop, she ran onto the deck and dialed the number quickly.

"Hello?" Lizzie's voice came over the phone, she sounded out of breath.

"Liz…did I catch you at a bad…or good…time?" Casey muttered, not really wanting to know the answer.

"Um…no?" She asked and practically heard Casey roll her eyes.

"Listen…I really need to see you; can I meet you at Mom and George's?" Casey asked.

"Yup. See you soon." Lizzie hung up and Casey grabbed her jacket in time to see Sam walk out pf the room with Kaylie in his arms.

"She wants to be in your room; she said she doesn't want to sleep alone." He whispered and she nodded.

"Thanks a million, Sam. You really are a great friend." He smiled and motioned for her to go. She waved and kissed Kaylie on the forehead one last time before leaving.

"Hey Casey." Lizzie greeted and Casey pushed past her and into her old room where Lizzie followed her. "Um…is something wrong?" She asked confusedly.

"Yeah…there is." Casey said blankly. "Or not. I don't know; depending on how big your mouth is." Casey looked up at her with worried eyes.

"Um…I-I think that's more of a question for Edwin…" She said, chuckling nervously but froze at Casey's stone face. "Case? What're you looking at?" Casey's eyes were fixed on her desk where papers lay, a neat pile on the desk.

"Oh my God…I'm an idiot." Casey muttered, standing up and grabbing the papers off the desk; looking at them furiously.

"_Would you rather have a daughter or son first?" Casey asked randomly as they sat looking over the cityscape from a cliff._

"_Daughter." Derek asked without hesitation._

"_Why?" She asked, softly laying her head back against to look into his eyes._

"_I don't know." He said with a low chuckle. "Why are we on this topic?" He asked, more laughter in his words._

"_I don't know. You wanna know something though?" She asked, averting her eyes back to the cityscape._

"_Sure." He asked; his arms around her waist protectively._

"_Your lap may be the most comfortable place in the world." She said as she wiggled a little from her place on his lap. He laughed quietly._

"_Baby that has got to be the most random thing you've ever said to me." He said, shaking his head. She shook her head back firmly in a protest._

"_Not true. The most random thing I've ever said to you was 'I love you'." She said and he feigned shock._

"_Are you, Casey McDonald, saying you only said you love me because you were being even more spastic than your usual spaz-of-a-self?" He asked and she hit his chest, situating herself on his lap to face him._

"_I am not a-mm!" She was cut off by his lips crashing onto hers. He kissed her repeatedly and she got out words little by little. "Not." Kiss. "A." Kiss. "Spaz!" He kept her in a deep kiss as the last breathy words left her lips._

**A/N: Hehehe! You wanna know what happens? Well; than you gotta review. It's a twoshot. I might continue it…not soon though, I've got WAY too much going on at once. REVIEW PLEASE!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Eyes of Teenage Runaway**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**WARNING! I cried while writing a part of this. I won't say which part because that'll give away the story.**

**A/N: Sorry about the dividing issues with the first chapter! Honestly, I wrote this on Word and the stupid dividing line didn't show up on Fanfic. THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!! R&R PLEASE!**

_Flashback _**or**_ thinking_

**Summary: Looking into those eyes, they seem so familiar. To close for comfort, familiar, he didn't like it; he didn't like staring into the eyes of a teenage runaway, his teenage runaway. Hit with déjà vu like a bright yellow school bus by looking into those eyes, he felt nauseous.**

Casey's tensed muscles relaxed immediately and she was washed over with relief.

"Hello! The very first thing I should've noticed was the fact it's in a neat pile! Derek Venturi doesn't leave things in neat piles." She said to herself. Lizzie eyes her oddly.

"Um…okay…what is that?" She asked. And Casey looked at Lizzie, remembering the reason to why she was there.

"Kaylie's birth certificate." Casey said deadpanned.

"Can I see?" Lizzie asked, pretending to be curious.

"Why? To see what I put down as the father's name?" Casey asked; Lizzie looked taken aback. "Don't lie, Liz. That's exactly what you were going to say. But you don't need to see, because you already know who the father is." Casey said knowingly and Lizzie looked at her, guilt in her features.

"Yeah…I do." She said quietly. Casey grasped her shoulders lightly.

"Liz…please tell me that nobody knows." Casey eyes were pleading. And Lizzie gulped.

"I-I told Edwin that you and Derek dated…but not that you were pregnant with his child." Lizzie explained and Casey blew out slowly. "But Casey! You should really tell him. Don't you think he deserves to know?" She asked and Casey's eyes welled up.

"No." She answered then swiftly left the house.

_--------------------_

"I can't believe this!" Derek whisper yelled to himself as he sat on his sofa. "Seven years." He spoke regularly. "Seven years, God damn it!" He yelled in aggravation. "She's my fucking daughter…and I find out seven years later?!" He continued to yell as he ran his fingers through his hair painfully.

The memory of his actions from earlier ran through his mind and he shut his eyes tightly, more tears falling.

"I can't believe this is happening. I fucking thought I was over her…I can't fucking believe still love her and she's got my daughter…" He whispered to himself.

The first time since she left that he admitted to still loving her; and it was painful as hell.

_--------------------_

"_This is crazy. I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Casey muttered and Derek rolled his eyes, smiling._

"_You're doing it 'cause you're a _really _good friend. Okay?" She sighed and nodded._

"_Fine; but I still don't see why I agreed to helping you with a dinner set for a _coach_." She said, following him into the kitchen._

"_A _coach_?!" He asked, and whipped around to face her. "Casey, this guy isn't a _coach_; he's a scout for Centennial! Do you know how badly I want to get into that college?! If I make it…it…it could be my chance to play in the NHL!" Derek cried out and she looked at him blankly._

"_You don't need to go to Centennial to do that." She stated and he rolled his eyes._

"_Casey, my dream, my all time wish, is to play for the Leafs. With these guys…I've got a fighting chance. Hell, I've got a fighting chance to go to the Olympics!" He said and Casey sighed._

"_Whatever…I still don't see the importance of me cooking a feast for some fat guy, scouting people to play a game on ice with sticks and a black circular thingy that isn't even a ball." She muttered as she trudged into the kitchen. Derek watched her go, a small smile playing at his lips as he shook his head at his friend's clueless ways._

_-----_

"_My God, Casey. You don't know how much this means to me." Derek said as he and Casey finished setting the table. Casey sighed and nodded._

"_No problem, Derek. I'll just go upstairs; when the doorbell rings I'll come down and serve the food. You don't have to worry about it. I'll go back upstairs after the food is on the table and won't bother you." She smiled and bound up the stairs._

"_Thanks, Case." He said and she smiled at him._

_About ten minutes later the doorbell rang and Casey was in the kitchen before Derek even opened the door._

"_Hello, Derek." The man said, and as Casey presumed, he was quite plump._

"_Hello, Mr. Walker; come on in." Derek moved aside and let the man in, he was followed by a woman by his side._

"_Hello, I'm Helen Walker." She extended a hand which Derek shook and nodded to her._

"_Nice to meet you." They all took their seats and Casey came out with platters. She stood beside Derek and put the large platters down, trying to stop her tongue from sticking out from the side of her mouth but failing miserably as she concentrated on not letting anything fall._

"_Here you are." She said and stood straight. "Enjoy." She smiled in pride at the neatly placed platters on the table._

"_Thanks, Casey." Derek said smiling; she smiled at him then turned to the stairs. _

"_You're welcome." She said._

"_Oh, wait, dear. Why don't you join us?" Mrs. Walker asked. Casey shook her head in protest._

"_Oh, no; it's quite alright-" She began._

"_No, I insist. Derek, please tell your girlfriend to join us." Mrs. Walker said. Derek and Casey didn't bother to protest to not dating. Too many people had already made that mistake._

_It didn't really help that they both secretly wanted to be dating one another._

"_Mrs. Walker's right, Case. You made this dinner; you deserve to enjoy it too." He smirked and she smiled, suppressing an eye-roll._

"_Well…alright." She sat at the table beside Derek and Mrs. Walker smiled in pride. Casey extended a hand to Helen and smiled. "Casey McDonald." She shook Helen's hand then shook Mr. Walker's._

"_Pleased to meet you, dear." Mrs. Walker said kindly._

"_This dinner is marvellous." Mr. Walker said and Casey smiled._

"_Thank you." She said humbly._

"_I've been scouting Derek for some time now; he seems to be…shall I say, rough around the edges? Well, no matter…how did someone like him, get such a kind young lady as yourself?" He asked amused and Derek blushed slightly. Casey laughed._

"_I don't know. Must've been _something_ he did. I guess I was drawn to his hockey ability." Casey said, naturally mingling._

"_He is a prized player isn't he?" Mr. Walker asked._

"_Thank you, Sir." Derek said and Mr. Walker laughed._

"_No need to practice manners because young Ms. McDonald is obviously advanced in educates, Derek. Call me Paul." He said casually and Helen hit his arm lightly._

"_Pay no matter to him; Paul, stop degrading the boy." She scolded while amused at the same time._

"_No, no. It's alright. I happen to have one that's out of my league." Derek said, putting an arm around Casey's shoulder._

_Honestly, neither really knew why they hadn't stopped this whole thing as soon as it started. But Derek wasn't opposed to touching Casey intimately and Casey wasn't complaining about the shivers he sent down her spine whenever he touched her skin._

"_So cute." Helen muttered._

"_Helen, stop gushing." Paul said and she rolled her eyes. "So Casey, tell me; what do you think about Derek's hockey abilities?" Casey smiled and Derek glanced at her nervously._

_As far as he knew; she'd never even seen him play._

"_He's fantastic! I love watching him play, the crowd loves him and he feeds off their applause. The more they cheer, the better he plays, the better he plays, the more they cheer! It's like a never ending cycle." Casey said with a smile. "I remember one game; Thompson won, 6-3, Derek scored _four _of those goals on his own. It was remarkable!" She said happily, Derek was shocked but Mr. Walker seemed pleased._

"_So you like to watch him play?" He asked. Casey nodded without hesitation._

"_Definitely. He's basically what makes our school what it is." She looked over at him and smiled. He gave her a smirk and raised an unknowing eyebrow at the new information._

"_So, Derek, why Centennial?" Derek removed his arm from Casey's shoulder and set his hand on the table. Casey ignored the feeling of cold from where his arm was previously placed._

"_Ever since I was young, all I could ever dream about was playing for the Leafs then going to Olympics. I know there are a lot of good schools out there but Centennial can open a lot more doors and can give so many more opportunities. Hockey is my passion; it's all I've ever wanted to do. I love the sport and my life would be perfect if the two things in life I've ever wanted were mine." Derek explained._

"_Two?" Helen and Paul asked simultaneously._

_**Oops…shit, what the hell do I say now? 'Yeah, hockey and Casey; the girl who's posing as my girlfriend but who is actually my stepsister'? **__He thought, raking his brain for something._

"_He's told me this so many times over," Casey began, catching Derek's difficulty, "the two things in life he's only ever wanted and needed were hockey and family; he's always dreamed of a little girl in his future." She smirked unnoticeably to Mr. and Mrs. Walker but not to Derek._

"_That is incredibly sweet." Mrs. Walker said with a smile. Derek blushed lightly._

"_Well…" He trailed, his eyes thanking Casey for covering him. She smiled lightly and turned her attention back to the guests._

_The night went well and somehow ended with two teenagers and two adults sitting on the floor in the Venturi/McDonald household's living room; playing The Game of Life._

"_Oh yeah! Pay up; ah…I love being a cop." Helen said and they laughed as Derek forked over his play money._

"_Ooh! Look! I got twenty thousand dollars!" Casey cried out and did a little dance while sitting; Derek watched and smiled amused while Helen and Paul Walker laughed. "Okay next." She said, completely forgetting to take her money from the bank. Derek smirked and shook his head._

"_Hey, Case, you might wanna take that money you were just doing a happy-dance for." She turned crimson and smiled._

"_Oh yeah…" Derek laughed along with the two guests._

"_God, I love you." He muttered with laughter and Casey stopped, dead in her tracks then looked over at him. He turned pale and looked away. Her eyes grew wide and she tried to get his attention. Helen and Paul stopped what they were doing and watched the two._

"_We should get going." Mrs. Walker said before standing up and walking towards the door, followed shortly by her husband and Derek._

"_I'll be in touch about that scholarship, Derek." Paul said before Derek bid them goodbye and opened the door and shut it behind them._

_His gaze averted to Casey who half-mindedly put away the board game._

"_I'm sorry." He whispered and she stopped what she was doing for a minute then shook her head and continued. "I didn't mean to say it. You weren't meant to hear that." He said to her put she acted as though she hadn't heard him. "Case?" He asked, walking to her._

"_No." She said. "No; you said it didn't mean anything." She explained. "You can't possibly think…no." she protested, arguing with herself. "No, Derek! You…you told me that it didn't mean anything!" She said then stood up and looked up into his eyes._

"_Case…"_

"_Y-you told me that it was an accident, it wasn't meant to happen. I thought about those words, Derek. I thought you were honestly repulsed with the fact you _kissed _me. But you turn around a few days later and blurt out you love me. Make up your God damn mind, Derek!" She yelled and he pleaded with her with his eyes._

"_I…"_

"_No. Answer me. I'm sick of these mind-games you've been playing with me." She fumed angrily and an angry tear fell from her eye and she wiped it away fiercely. When he didn't answer she rolled her eyes and grabbed the back of his neck, crashing his lips to hers._

_He pressed his lips firmly against hers and ran his tongue along her bottom lip. But just as he was about to enter her mouth she pulled away._

"_That was an accident. I love you, but you were never supposed to know." She said then walked away from him. Leaving him confused, lost and completely and utterly happy._

_--------------------_

"So it's all cleared up?" Sam asked as Casey walked through the door. She nodded.

"Yeah…Liz knew. She knew before anybody else." Casey explained.

"Did she…?"

"No. She didn't tell anybody."

"Look…I know Derek may not have…well, he was completely moronic…but don't you think he deserves to know?" Sam asked and Casey sighed.

"Honestly Sam…I was thinking about telling him; that's why I brought Kaylie's birth certificates…but then he…" She trailed, the events from earlier that day replaying painfully in her mind.

"It's okay, Casey…you don't have to say anything about it." He said and she nodded, tear slipping from her eye and rolling down her cheek.

"He really hurt me…he did, Sam. He doesn't know how much he hurt me. How much he put me through." She cried harder and Sam hugged her and rubbed her back soothingly.

"Sh…it's okay…it's okay…" He whispered softly, trying his best to sooth her.

_--------------------_

"I gotta make this better, Liz." Derek explained over the phone. Lizzie exhaled deeply.

"Yeah; you do. You are an _idiot, _Derek. God…I don't know how you can fix this. I mean…you can try and do something romantic; but that wouldn't work because you've got fucking vultures following your every move." Lizzie said and Derek sighed, feeling annoyed with his life.

"Damn paparazzi." He muttered. "Look, Liz…I know I screwed up and right now I feel like the biggest ass alive." He explained, tugging on his hair painfully. "But I need to talk to her. I need her in my life, Liz." He pleaded with her and she sighed. "Look; all this time she was gone, seven years, I thought I had gotten over her. All the time spent apart and she never called or sent anything. I haven't heard or spoken to her in seven years…and that kills me. I really thought that it wouldn't matter if she showed up seven years later. But, damn it, I was so fucking wrong; it matters so much more. If anything…I think I love her more." He said, tears burning his eyes and threatening to fall.

"Derek…" Lizzie said sympathetically.

"God…I'm a fucking idiot. I don't deserve a fucking second chance. I don't deserve her or Kay. I don't deserve any of it. But I want more than anything to fight for it; I'm willing to risk everything for one more shot. It was hard enough trying to forget all of our past, or at least trying to forget about loving her, but now it's worse…now I _know _I've got a daughter. Casey and Kay live one hell of a fucking life. I was way out of line to say anything about it…and when I…shit. I'll never be able to make up for everything I did to her…to them." He said.

"You really love her, don't you?" Lizzie asked.

"I really do." He said. Lizzie sighed.

"How'd you find out about Kay?" Lizzie asked, feeling confident.

"Her birth certificates; Casey left them in her room." He explained; confused about Lizzie's sudden change in mood.

"Bingo. Case thinks you don't know. We gotta play this right…perfectly. If we don't…we're screwed." Lizzie said and Derek was even more confused.

"Okay…explain this wonderful play of yours to me…'cause I'm completely lost."

"All we gotta do is get her to accept…"

_--------------------_

"_Did you mean it?" He asked as he leaned against her door frame. Her back was facing him as she occupied herself with her computer somehow. He sighed when she remained silent and advanced into the room. He closed the door behind him then sat at the foot of her bed. "Case?" He asked and he heard her intake a sharp breath. "Casey." He urged her to answer and she swivelled around in her chair._

"_Did you?" She threw back impatiently. He was taken aback for a moment before letting out a deep breath he had, unknown to him, been holding. He looked into her eyes and couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at his lips from curling into a soft smile._

"_I didn't say it because being mushy would benefit for a scholarship." He said, his smile slowly going lopsided to form a half-smirk, half-smile. She bit her lip to stop the large grin that was begging to be formed._

"_Well, I didn't say it because I wanted to see you get mushy. I see enough of it when you're with Marti." She said, a smile playing at her lips. He stood up and leaned in close to her._

"_Good," he whispered before kissing her softly, "because we're going on a date tomorrow night." He said as he straightened up with a smirk on his features. She sighed, feigning annoyance._

"_Fine." She stopped the charade and smiled up at him largely. "Only you could make something so awkward into something so romantic…somehow." She said and he shrugged as he leaned over to kiss her again._

_--------------------_

"Can I just ask you something?" Sam asked quietly as they looked at a random show that was currently on the television. She looked at him and nodded.

"Of course." She whispered and he inhaled deeply.

"You have to answer honestly." He said and she nodded. "Do you think you could ever be with Derek again?" She looked at the floor but her eyes were dazed over, as though she wasn't actually there. She chewed on her bottom lip as she lost herself in deep thoughts.

_--------------------_

"Understand?" Lizzie asked.

"Yeah, but what if she finds out I already know? Then she'll just be angry again. And that's only considering if she accepts." Derek said and Lizzie scoffed on the other end.

"Oh, she'll accept." Lizzie said confidently.

"Well…how do I ask her?" He asked, Lizzie was so confident about this plan but he wasn't so sure.

"Hmm…I don't know." She admitted quietly. "Take her out as a friend and it should develop on its own, I guess. I know my sister, Derek. I know she could never reject you. Just please, Derek, please promise me you won't hurt her again. Last time I didn't know…but if she gets hurt again then it'll be my entire fault and though I'll feel utterly guilty you won't go unpunished." She said.

"I know, Liz. The last time…I was going to her in he morning, to _try _and make up for what I had said…but I found you and that box instead of her. I know I've had my share of being a moron, in fact I've had more than my share, but I know I won't hurt her again. I just wouldn't." He said and Lizzie let out a breath she wasn't aware that she had been holding.

"Good." She said. "Ask her tomorrow. I'm gonna go. Good luck, Derek." Lizzie said before hanging up. Derek hung up and sunk into his sofa.

"Yeah, good luck." He grumbled to himself. "You're gonna need it." He said before falling asleep himself.

_--------------------_

A tear slipped down her face slowly. It rolled and touched her skin with its warmth then left a cold trail behind it. Like Derek's touches. They made her feel warm but once they were gone she was cold and alone. She looked back up and into the eyes of Sam as she continued to chew on her lip.

"Please tell me it's okay to say 'yes'." She whispered to him as more tears slowly fell. He gathered her in his arms and rocked her slowly. She pulled away from him slowly. "I still love him. And even knowing he hurt me…I'd do it again. I wouldn't change any of it. He may have hurt me but I got Kaylie from it. Even knowing that…I think, no, I know I still want to be with him. I haven't dated, haven't seen anyone romantically in seven years. I've had no time.

"I'm either busy with Kay, busy with work, busy with work, busy with work or helping Sarah." She whispered. "He's probably slept with more girls than he can count. Not that they care. The only thing they care about is being able to say they slept with Derek Venturi. And all that matters to him is his picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the status of the number one sexy male celebrity." She whispered harshly and, once again, Sam's jaw clenched.

"Maybe you two aren't so different from each other after all." He said before he stood up. "I'm going to bed. Call me if you need something." He said as he shuffled away. Casey sighed and lay down before falling into a deep sleep herself.

_--------------------_

"_It's going to be really hard, though." She whispered as she blinked back her tears. He ran his index finger across her cheek soothingly and repeatedly he smiled weakly. He didn't know what to tell her. What could he possibly say? He had no words that could make her stronger than she already was._

"_I know, Baby." He whispered back. "And I wish I could tell everything's going to be okay, but I can't. I know it'll be hard, I know it _is _hard. But you're strong, and right now you're everyone's rock. Even me, sometimes. I know." The tears fell and she peered into his eyes._

"_I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm supposed to be strong; I'm not supposed to cry." More tears fell and he hugged her tight._

"_It's okay, Case. Let it out. You can't be strong for everyone all the time. I know you try, but she's your mother. You're allowed to cry because she's sick. It's okay, Baby." He whispered soothingly and she let out a choked sob._

"_Derek, please tell she's going to be okay. Please." She begged as she clung to him. He felt the tears burning his eyes and blinked them back._

"_I can't, Casey. I don't want to tell you then have something bad happen to her. Believe me, Casey; I want her to be okay. I need her to be okay. But I don't want to say she'll be fine, she'll survive the surgery knowing that…that it may not be true." He said, his voice cracking considerably. He swallowed a large lump in his throat. She sobbed and held him tighter._

"_I need her, Derek. I can't go without her." She whispered hoarsely and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He opened his eyes in time to see the man dressed in white with a surgical mask on come out. Derek loosened his gip on Casey enough for her to turn to the man._

"_Well?" George asked impatiently, his voice cracking as he stood from his place on the hospital chair. The man smiled brightly, relieving Casey, Derek and George._

"_The tumour was successfully removed. Consider yourselves lucky you got her here in time. The hallucinations and mood swings were significant signs of her brain tumour. I can only allow one of you in there at a time." He finished sympathetically and they nodded before he walked away. George was about to advance into the room when Casey grabbed his sleeve._

"_George…please." She said quietly. He opened his mouth and glanced between her and the door before nodding. He sat back down and she smiled at him gratefully before leaving into the hospital room. George looked over to Derek._

"_You're really maturing, Derek. The way you helped Casey was a sure sign of it. You were there for your sister when she needed you." He smiled softly and Derek resisted the urge to cringe at the word 'sister' and smiled back softly._

_--------------------_

"Can we go back to Nonna and Nonno's house?" Kaylie asked from her seat at Sam's kitchen table. Casey's eyes were fixed on her bowl of cereal as she thought of what Sam had said the night before. "Mommy?" She asked and Casey's head snapped up.

"Huh? – Oh yeah. Sure. We'll head over as soon as you're done with your breakfast." Kaylie nodded and took a large bite of her cereal then looked down. She shifted the contents of bowl around with her spoon as she chewed slowly.

"Mommy?" Casey looked up and nodded. "Will Un – I mean, will Derek be there?" She asked sheepishly and Casey sighed inwardly.

"Probably, Kay." Casey said and saw Kaylie's eyes light up as the young girl held in her excitement. Kaylie looked back into her bowl, taking another large bite, and Casey saw the small smile that was quirking up and down as Kaylie tried to hide it. Casey smiled softly at it then took a bite of her own cereal.

"What about Aunt Marti? And Uncle Edwin and Aunt Lizzie?" She asked and Casey smiled largely.

"They'll be there. You'll love Aunt Marti. She's got a wild imagination, just like you, kiddo." Casey said as her mind wandered to Marti and her ways.

_-----_

"…And Uncle Edwin's really funny. He said he was gonna beat the 'pretty boys' who wanted a piece of me, 'cause I'm so cute, with the 'pretty stick' then Aunt Lizzie said he was over-protective. But he said it 'cause Aunt Lizzie said I was really cute, or something like that." Kaylie explained as Sam dropped them off at the McDonald-Venturi household. Casey laughed.

"Yeah, that sounds like Ed, all right." Sam said as he pulled up to the house. Casey smiled at him and she and Kaylie said goodbye before getting out and walking into the house. They were greeted by the usual familial chaos.

"Oh my God! Edwin, you ate a brownie! I specifically told you not to eat a brownie!"

"I didn't! I ate _two_!"

"Marti, please get off the phone."

"Ugh! I have no privacy in this house!"

"_Edwin_! Give. Me. The batter!"

"Why? You already made, like, fifty brownies, fifty-_five _cookies and ten pies!"

"Marti, I need to call the caterer to check on everything."

"Well, _I _need to talk to Amber about Christy and Jake! Jake is hitting on Stephanie knowing very well that Kate likes him but her brother is dating Christy who is cousins with Amber's brother's best friend's little brother's babysitter's son! That means that Kate can't go out with him because Kevin is totally rivals with Jake. Anyways, Christy saw Jake and Kate together and she told Stephanie who told Kevin who said he was going to kick Jake's ass and now I need to know the rest!"

"…there's more?"

"And who is Kevin?" Casey asked and everyone looked to see, for the first time, Casey and Kaylie standing in the door. Kaylie rolled her eyes at her mother.

"Pay attention, Mommy! Kevin is Amber's brother's best friend's little brother's babysitter's son!" Kaylie explained and Casey arched an eyebrow.

"Wow, she did that in order with an amazing accuracy. You'll go far." Marti said impressed. "Uh…not to be rude…who are you?" Marti asked with a raised eyebrow. "And did you just call Casey 'Mommy'?" She asked and Kaylie nodded.

"I'm Kaylie, Casey's daughter." She said and Marti's eyes widened momentarily as they darted in between Casey and Kaylie. Kaylie smiled as Lizzie ran toward her from the kitchen with an apron on and flour smudged across her cheek.

"Hi, Kay!" She said excitedly as she swooped down and gathered Kaylie in a large hug. Nora was next and Kaylie laughed at the two women who were fighting for dominance over the jointed hug. Marti stood up from her place on the couch and hugged Casey tightly.

"Hi, Marti. Look at you, still as small as ever." Casey said as she looked down at the petite teenager. Marti laughed lightly and shrugged.

"Good things come in small packages." Casey chuckled as Marti motioned to herself.

"Just as long as the guys don't think that." Derek's voice came from the front door. Marti grinned and ran into his opened arms.

"Hey, Smerek!" She said as he lifted her up in the hug.

"It's so great to see you, Smarti." Derek said as he hugged her tightly and smiled.

"You guys still do the Smerek and Smarti thing?" Casey asked and Marti nodded vigorously. Casey gave her a questioning eyebrow. "Or do you just do it to embarrass him?" Marti shrugged.

"That's just a benefit. And it only happens in front of his team and other 'people of authority'." She said, using air quotes and imitating Derek.

"That was freakishly good." Casey said through laughter.

"It was; and back to the small package thing. I always liked a small girl." He said, shooting a vague wink to Casey. Her eyes widened momentarily as a small blush crept to her cheeks. She leaned over to Lizzie.

"Why did I like that?" She asked through her teeth and Lizzie shrugged, shooting Derek an approving smirk. He nodded and smirked back at her.

"I don't want any guy to have that same attraction to you. So hurry up and grow." He said and Marti rolled her eyes, wearing a smile nonetheless.

"Sure Derek." She said and averted her attention to Kaylie who was sitting on the recliner, looking very small in it. She was sitting in the middle of it with her legs spread out as she laughed at Lizzie and Edwin. "Look! She fits right in!" Marti exclaimed as she sat on the arm rest of the chair and talked to Kaylie. Derek's eyes snapped to Kaylie and he felt his heart swell.

_My daughter._

He smiled softly but snapped back to reality when Edwin waved his hand in Derek's face.

"Dude; stop staring." He said with an eye-roll.

_--------------------_

"_I'm particularly patient. Especially in this itchy suit Nora made me wear because it matched Emily's dress. Now give me the suit." Derek grumbled from his seat in the limo. Sam chuckled and handed over the suit he was keeping for Derek to change into._

"_Chill, they're probably going to take forever anyways. It's senior prom, they wanted to look perfect…or something like that." Sam said. Derek finished off and climbed out of the limo._

"_Tell me again: why didn't I change in the house?" Derek asked as he walked to Sam's front door._

"_I don't know, they said something about the 'staircase moment'." Sam explained with as careless shrug. "Just don't freak out. You always seem to snap after five minutes of waiting."_

"_Snap? Five minutes? Dude, it took me a minute to change out of a monkey suit and into this thing in the back of a limo. They have floors, ceilings and are able to walk around and stand. And it's going to take longer than five minutes? They came here, started, you left and got me and they're still up there doing God-knows-what. They've had about _forty_-five minutes. I've reason to freak." Derek explained calmly as he slumped down into Sam's sofa._

"_You'd make quite the lawyer." Sam said as he chuckled and sat on the other end of the sofa. Fifteen minutes later a throat cleared and the two of them bolted off the couch in time to see Emily walk down the stairs. Sam looked at her and smiled._

"_Hey guys." She said as she walked into Sam's awaiting arms._

"_You look great." He said before kissing her chastely. Emily smiled and looked over at Derek._

"_Thank you, but the main attraction is coming down soon." She said and Derek stood up._

"_Good. Girls take _way _too long to get dressed." He complained as he ran his fingers through his hair. "How long does it take to put on a dress, serious…ly?" He trailed as Casey walked down the stairs. His eyes raked over her and he raised an eyebrow as she made her way over to him._

"_Well?" She asked nervously as she bit her lip. Derek continued to go over every inch of her with his eyes and Sam hit the back of his head._

"_Dude; stop staring." He said. Derek smirked and pulled her forward and crashed his lips down onto hers. He grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to him._

_--------------------_

"It's like we're all living here again. Minus Casey and Derek's incessant fighting. All though, I did hear a small quarrel about dinner." Nora said as they all ate. "And, of course, because George isn't here." She added and they all nodded. The seating had altered because Lizzie and Edwin wanted to sit beside each other instead of face to face. So now Edwin was in Derek's seat, Lizzie was in Edwin's seat, Nora was in her own seat, Kaylie was in George's seat, Marti in her own, Derek in Casey's seat and Casey in Lizzie's.

"Yeah, except I used to have the benefit of him being across the table instead of beside me." Casey said with a jerk of her thumb in Derek's direction.

"It was going so well, why'd you have to ruin it? Now there's bound to be an argument." Derek said with a roll of his eyes. Casey looked over to him and rolled her own eyes.

"Only because you find your two cents so valuable." She said and he sighed.

"It's better than your two cents worth one cent." He grumbled back and the rest of the family watched in amusement.

"Go find a blonde to go clubbing with." She spat back quietly.

"Go find a man to impregnate you." He hissed harshly. Everyone looked at him in astonishment and Casey with wide, tear-glazed eyes. Unlike last time, he didn't apologize. Lizzie stared at him intently. After a few moments of silence Casey kissed her teeth and stood up.

"I'm glad you find my daughter and my situation so amusing. You haven't changed a bit. At all. Since the day I met you ten years ago. You're still that immature, conceited, arrogant, fifteen-year-old jerk!" She yelled at him before throwing her napkin down and walking up the stairs and into the washroom.

"Derek. Kitchen. _Now_." Lizzie said as she calmly stood up and walked into the kitchen, closing the door behind Derek.

_--------------------_

She perched herself on toilet seat and breathed deeply. The tears were close to falling. She closed her eyes gently and willed them to go away. There was a soft knock on the door but she ignored it. When she didn't answer another knock was made. Thinking it was Lizzie or her mother, she ignored it.

_Why does he do that? Does he enjoy seeing me in pain? Is that it? I left the night, or morning, he broke up with me and I show up seven years later with his daughter and he taunts me? He thinks he's the one who was hurt. He thinks he had it bad. _He _broke up with _me. _Not the other way around._

_I was pregnant with his child and he dumped me. What did he expect? I would wait for him? Granted he didn't know I was pregnant and he still doesn't know it's his daughter; but it came as a huge shock, like I wasn't allowed to be with anyone meanwhile he can screw half the province and not have a mark on his conscience._

_I have to live in a guilt trip because my daughter, our daughter, lives a hard life. The minute she's old enough she's going to have to start working because I can't provide and pay for college or university. She'll never have that father figure in her life and I'm always going to be the first at fault. Because of him._

_Because he has a life of gold and rubs it in my face, because I don't have a lot of time and he does. One day he'll be telling me he's a better parent than I am. That'll hurt. It'll be wrong, but will hurt nonetheless. He could never be the parent I am. Not even half. I work three jobs, help Sarah, help Kaylie with her homework, maintain a good living space, nourish my daughter properly and still take her to her hockey practices, dance classes and vocal lessons._

_I pay for the apartment, the food, the clothes, the hockey, the gear and whatever else my daughter needs. I do it because I have to, because I'm guilty and I refuse to give her anything less than I can. If I can get it for her, and she wants it, she's getting it. She may not have the most glamorous life but she has a mother that cares about her._

_That'll do anything for her. Because I love her. But I will always be guilty._

_I will always love him._

Another knock sounded and the tears fell as the voice reached her ears.

"Mommy? Mommy, are you okay?" Kaylie's small and worried voice echoed in Casey's ears. The tears slowly fell, one by one. She heard a sigh from outside and the foot steps becoming fainter. Once the sounds were gone, she let out a frustrated sob as the tears kept on flowing.

_--------------------_

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Lizzie asked in a hushed tone. Her eyes flared with anger and rage. But above all, the guilt shone through. "Why would you say that? You _know _Kaylie is your daughter. Why would you say that?" Lizzie asked and he remained quiet. "Derek!" She nudged his shoulder and he looked up at her.

"I…I don't know." He answered quietly. "I didn't want to hurt her, not again. What the hell _is _wrong with me? That's my daughter out there. _I'm _the only one that ever got Casey pregnant. W-why would I refer to her as some sort of…of slut? I hurt her. She never did anything to me. What gives me the right to rub how good my life is compared to hers in her face?" Derek asked himself aloud.

"You don't." Lizzie spat out at him harshly. He looked at her and nodded.

"I know I don't. Maybe I really don't deserve a second chance. There are some things in life you only get once. I blew my chance, my one and only shot, to the perfect life. I had it. I could've been the luckiest man alive, the luckiest to _ever _live. And…and I willingly let it go. Actually, scratch that, I _threw _it away.

"The perfect girl was mine. She had the perfect daughter with her…and I got rid of her. Now…now I still have another chance and I just ruin it again. I pushed her into kissing me. I almost _raped _her. I criticized her life in front of a lot of people. I made her cry. A lot. I drove her out of my life. I got her pregnant…and then turned around and acted as if she had got knocked-up. I'm acting as though my daughter's a mistake.

"I love Casey. I never stopped. But I screwed up. And I keep hurting her. It'll never be the same. I'll never have her again. She'll never be mine. She'll never love me again. I'll never have that chance again. The moment's gone. I threw it away seven years ago and there's a little girl out there to prove it. I forced my life to be the way it is. And I lost Casey and Kaylie at the same time. I'm done. I'm not trying anymore. Every time I try I wind up hurting her." Derek shook his head and moved to leave the kitchen but Lizzie held his arm and kept him in place.

"Y-you can't. Derek…that's not true. You just…you've got to be more careful. It only happened because you moved to fast. Y-you don't have to – she still – and Kaylie – that little girl loves you – you can't just walk – and – you…you – this isn't happening. You can't!" She yelled at him and he furrowed his eyebrows before he shook his head and left. Lizzie leaned against the island and sunk to the floor. "You can't." She said. "I ruined my sister's life." She sobbed out to herself as she rocked herself back and forth and cried.

_--------------------_

Casey opened the door and picked up Kaylie.

"We're going home, Baby." She whispered hoarsely and Kaylie eyed her with worry and hope.

"Y-you mean, home to Sam's right?" She asked, her eyes pleading. Casey felt more tears well up in her eyes but forced them back.

"No. We're going back to the apartment in Toronto." Kaylie looked into her mother's eyes as her own tears fell.

"But I wanna stay. With Aunt Lizzie and Aunt Marti and Uncle Edwin and Nonna and I didn't get to meat Nonno yet! I wanna stay!" She cried and screamed out and Casey shook her head.

"Kaylie, you're acting like a baby. Stop it. We'll talk about it when we get back to Toronto." Casey explained calmly and more tears fell from Kaylie's eyes.

"What about Daddy?" She asked quietly and Casey bit down on her lip hard. She tasted the copper taste of blood and shook her head.

"What about him?" She asked as she put Kaylie's coat on. Kaylie looked into Casey's eyes and saw the same sadness she felt.

"I love him, Mommy. He's my daddy. I've never had one before." She whispered as her tears kept falling. Casey picked her up again and took her to their car. She set Kaylie down in the back seat and rubbed her cheek with her thumb.

"Just because he helped create you, don't make him a father. I know you love him, Kay. But he isn't going to there for you like a father should be. I love you, Baby. You'll understand one day. And you'll forgive me." Casey explained and Kaylie narrowed her sad eyes at Casey.

"I'll never forgive you for keeping me away from him." She whispered back and Casey closed the door calmly before leaning against the car and letting out a long sob as the tears fell. A minute or so later she climbed in. Her tears falling every once in a while as Kaylie ignored her and cried in the back seat.

_I will always be guilty._

_--------------------_

**A/N: PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! In case you're wondering. I cried at the end there. I know this chapter is WAY shorter than the first and before you hurt me for this ending just know I'm going to continue the story with a full length one after I'm done with 'GT', 'CC' and 'WTM?'. R&R PLEASE!!**


	3. SEQUEL INFO

The Heart of a Runaway

_**The Heart of a Runaway**_

**A/N: **_In case you haven't yet guessed, the title of the sequel to 'Eyes of a Teenage Runaway' is 'The Heart of a Runaway'. These are just small clip-its of parts, sort of like a trailer I made, only in words, because I was really bored :P_

_**The Heart of a Runaway…**_

_**Starring Casey McDonald**_

"I refuse to parade around on someone's arm like an accessory. I'm a confident and independent woman, not a man's arm candy. _Especially _that man."

_**Sarah Cornelli**_

"Apparently they've got legitimate evidence that I committed homicide. You've got to understand that I had nothing to do with it. Casey, I'm innocent, you've got to believe me."

_**Sam **__**Shepherd**_

"…and I know I may be going out on a limb, here, but I like you; a lot. And I know if I just had the chance, if you gave it to me, I could be in love with you."

_**Derek Venturi**_

"I don't _care _about the tabloids! They can post whatever they like about me. All that matters is if _I _know the truth and _you _know the truth. Not the teenage female population and their accessibility to magazines!"

_**Nathaniel Cornelli-Brooks**_

"Are you _insane_? This has got to be the most ludicrous idea you've _ever _had. And that's saying a lot. Do you know the risk you're taking by doing this? What can you _possibly _gain from it?"

_**And Kaylie McDonald-Venturi**_

"I understand that your idea of riveting is peeling the gum off the bottom of your shoes, but for once, could you not be a stick in the mud and _help me_?"

_**In a story with many second chances…**_

"I can't _believe _I trusted you again! God!"

_**When bad timing stri**__**kes realization…**_

"I've wasted so much time and energy hating her when I should've just trusted her. Now I see she was right."

…_**and the world as you know it comes tumbling down over you.**_

"I'm not guilty! I didn't kill him, I swear! Please! Please, believe me!"

_**It's**__** all in the heart of a runaway…or her daughter.**_

"Sometimes people are just so blind to what's right in front of them. I don't want to be like that."

"Too late."

_**The Heart of a Runaway**_


End file.
